Mistake. Accident. Faux pas. Fubar. They happen to all of us. Sometimes, they make us angry. Sometimes, they make us want to cry. Fortunately, sometimes, they can also make us laugh. When to See the Humor When something goes wrong, our natural reaction is be upset. We also may feel...

One of the most important effects of the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is that it brings people together in one place for a few days each fall. In this digital age, being in the same building with this many friends and colleagues presents countless opportunities! From...

I really enjoy local county fairs and local attractions, because they give us an opportunity to see cool things from the past or something related to the area (and our fair has fresh roasted corn!). Recently at our local fair, the Stanwood Fair, I walked into a building showcasing tools used by...

At a recent TPI 3rd Party Audit, the In-Plant Inspector (IPI) and I were inspecting trusses coming off the line as is normal in an audit. A stacked truss caught my eye, mainly because the top plate did not line up with the plate on the opposite side of the truss. Upon careful examination, indeed...

The BCMC trade show is fast approaching. This trade show, which is held each year, is a great opportunity for you and your team to step outside of your comfort zone to challenge and expand your current beliefs of both equipment investments and vendor services. Just be mindful that sometimes it...

Congratulations! You’ve just purchased a new, state of the art machine to add technology and automation to your factory processes. Concerns about safety, inefficiency, and your bottom line are now in the past. Your staff will be happier, work will be easier, and your customers will be...

So, there is an interesting discussion by some in the CM Industry to create a universal truss software standard. In some circles, this “standard” is merely an effort to integrate and simplify.  Others worry it is an effort to monetize design software, and to some this...

What makes Acceptance Leasing and Financing Service, Inc., of Moon Township, Pennsylvania so special? It has to be our President, Carl Villella. An active participant in the financing arena since 1992, Carl is a Certified Financial Lease Professional (CFLP), the preeminent professional...

Why aren’t your trussers designing walls and EWP too, as we said they would twenty-five years ago? To pave their way, we would deliver more intelligent (“IntelliBuilt”) and optimized (“OptiFramed”) software, and builders would provide flawless “BIM”...

We’ve all been there—hurrying to finish one thing while juggling a dozen other things. We don’t want to let anyone down, disappoint someone who’s expecting something of us, or fail to meet our own expectations for ourselves. Unfortunately, the more we try to do, the more...